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Meet us at Smart Home Expo 2019 where Šimon Chudoba is going to have a seminar on how to use the IQRF wireless technology, what is the IQRF Alliance and new features in IQRF OS 4.03D.

Smart Home is UK’s ultimate event for the evolution of automated home tech for modern day & independent living. The event will have 150 seminars by the sector’s leading visionaries, 200 world-class suppliers and interactive features.

Since the innovations are all around us in various areas of life, it is no surprise that these innovations are getting also to the area of living. Home automation and smart homes are closer than you think.

The IQRF Alliance is partnering up to the show and our CEO Šimon Chudoba will be speaking at the event!

Evaluate the unique mesh approach and all advanced
features of the IQRF® technology

The new IQRF OS 4.03D brings many improvements to help you work with the IQRF®. These include, in particular, Smart Connect and Autonetwork V2.

Smart Connect

This is a new method of adding the Node to the IQRF network.

Properties

The node does not need to be within the range of the Coordinator but must be within the range of the Node that is already bonded to the network.

No action is required on the bonded Node side (for example, pressing a button).

The bonded Node needs to have neither a working channel nor an Access Password of that network set in its configuration.

Smart Connect is based on system communication encrypted with IBK (Individual Bonding Key). This is the unique and permanent code stored in each TR module during production.

For the Coordinator to add the Node to the network, it must know its IBK and MID(Module ID).

Smart Connect is implemented in DPA as the new Coordinator periphery command. HWP of a Node supports pushbutton bonding as well as Smart Connect.

In the unbonded state (the red LED flashes on the Node), the Node is in LP reception (low power consumption) and expects the system’s Smart Connect packet. If the button is pressed, Node sends the bonding/pre-bonding requests. If the button is not pressed, the Node will go to sleep after about 5 hours. This long period offers time-space for installing Nodes and running the Smart Connect process. This time change is possible in Custom DPA Handler (event BondingButton). Alternatively, sleeping can be entirely disabled by using the Stay awake when not bonded configuration parameter.

Testing the Smart Connect process

You can start the Smart Connect process by the Smart Connect DPA command sent to the coordinator on the Coordinator periphery. The key input parameters are the IBKand MID of the bonded Node, and the required logical address. Both IBK and MID can be detected by application or in IQRF IDE – TR Module Information (Ctrl + M).

Smart Connect command can be tested, like any DPA command, in IQRF IDE via a terminal or more user-friendly via IQMESH Network Manager.

Smart Connect in practice

The input parameters (IBK, MID) can be passed to the Smart Connect process using the so-called IQRF Smart Connect Code. This is an alphanumeric string where the IBK, MID, and HWPID (Hardware Profile ID) of the device are encoded. This code can be generated using the IQRF Code Tool in the IQRF IDE or by a custom application based on available documentation and can be passed in various ways, e.g. using NFC, QR code, etc. The IQRF Code Tool also can also be used to generate QR code.

In practice, Smart Connect can look like this

In IQRF IDE, a QR code for each TR module (Node) is created and stuck to the device containing this TR module.

You place the device in the final place and read its QR code by a mobile application(such as IQRF Network Manager for Android).

The mobile application is linked to the IQRF Repository and therefore it can find and display information about the device (type, manufacturer, drivers …) accordingly to HWPID.

The mobile app will connect via API to the gateway based on the IQRF Gateway Daemon and launches Smart Connect.

What about the working channel?

From IQRF OS version 4.03D, all types of bonding (Local – e.g. with button, Smart Connect, Autonetwork V2) are running on service channels. Therefore, the bonded Node does not need to have the same working channel pre-configured as the network Coordinator. When installing a network, it is enough to set up a suitable (undisturbed) channel in the Coordinator, and all bonded Nodes will “inherit” this channel and store it automatically in the configuration during the bonding process.

The exception is Remote Bonding – a “pre-bonding” part. Existing Nodes provide pre-bonding in the network, the process takes place in the background, on the working channel of the network, and the Node which should be pre-bonded must have this working channel preconfigured in the configuration.

A user does not need to know the service channel numbers, they are listed in the IQRF OS User’s Guide – a channels map.

What about Access Password?

In the case of Smart Connect bonding, the Access Password of the bonded Node does not need to be the same as of Coordinator. The IBK of the Node is used for encryption and authorization.

Other bonding methods (Local – e.g. with a button, Remote, Autonetwork V2) require using the same Access Password.

Access Password is still used for authorization in DPA Service Mode (DSM) and to encrypt/decrypt network backups during the Backup/Restore process for smooth Coordinator/Node replacement in the network (if needed).

Autonetwork v2

This is a new version of an automatic network creation using services deployed directly in the operating system.

Properties

No Custom DPA Handler is required in the Node.

In the Coordinator, the Custom DPA Handler required for Autonetwork functionality is uploaded (CustomDpaHandler-Coordinator-AutoNetworkV2-Embedded.c)

Nodes do not need to have the same working channel as the Coordinator. The channel is “inherited” and automatically saved to the configuration during the Autonetwork process.

The nodes to be added to the network must have the same Access Password as the Coordinator.

Network creation goes in waves. In each wave, the following steps are made:

Prebonding (assigning of a temporary address 0xFE),

Authorization (assignment of a logical address),

Checking the Nodes (non-communicating Nodes are unbonded from the Coordinator),

In the first wave, Nodes in the direct RF reach of the Coordinator are added to the network. In the next waves, also existing Nodes in the network are involved in the network creation. If no new Node is added during the set number of waves (default value is 2), the Autonetwork process is terminated.

You can start the Autonetwork process with a DPA command sent to the Coordinator, the command is available, for example, in macros (name – Autonetworkembedded – Start).

Autonetwork V2 – process schema

Are you interested in the IQRF technology and would you like to test it or buy some devices?

Visit the IQRF Alliance website at www.iqrfalliance.org where you can find case studies from various companies that used the IQRF wireless technology in their projects or devices and services on a Marketplace with all its technical details.

The IQRF Alliance is an international community of companies, schools and innovation centers that are using the IQRF wireless technology in their IoT projects, smart building, and smart city areas. The main goal of the IQRF Alliance is to help its members with promotion and sales leading to increasing the market share. Because together we are stronger!

You can also visit the IQRF Shop at iqrf.shop where you can buy many IQRF devices from various manufacturers in one place. There are also discounts up to 70 EUR for IQRF Alliance members.

The IQRF Alliance attended the IOTSWC18 event in Barcelona together with Monolitic with a success among visitors. Presenting members‘ devices and solutions.

The IoT Solutions World Congress is an event full of decision makers, top speakers, and business professionals. The event is dedicated to joining IoT providers with industry in order to help agree on business partnerships.

This year was the fourth IOTSWC and it was visited by more than 16,000 people, 300 exhibitors, and 316 top level speakers on a venue of 32,000 m2 large.

The IQRF Alliance had a joint booth with Monolitic, M2M communication, and semiconductor company, and presented members’ devices and solutions using live demo boards with end devices, gateways and also data visualization in various clouds.

RehiveTech, a spin-off of the Brno Technical University and member of the IQRF Alliance, installed its smart indoor air quality monitoring system in several schools and kindergartens in Brno, and the results were very interesting.

At the beginning of the project, an analysis of the environment has shown that CO2 levels in rooms are gradually increasing, a phenomenon that is common in every room inhabited by people and not ventilated properly. Unfortunately, higher levels of this gas cause drowsiness, headache, and a lack of concentration. In their own interest, people should watch the level of CO2 that should not exceed the 1500 ppm hygienic limit set by a decree.

The deployed system consisted of a CO2 sensor (A) that provided data via the IoT system (B) to the central application where the data was evaluated. The control commands were regularly sent back, influencing the color of the light, which was in the form of a likable cloud (C) present in a class. The light signalized how healthy the environment was by changing colors. Children and staff have instructions on how to behave in any color state. They learned how to maintain the CO2 level low by only proper ventilation.

Three months later, the experimental shutdown of the signaling light followed, and the measurements surprisingly showed that the local staff had learned to control their indoor air themselves and that no unacceptably high levels of CO2 were measured.

The system can also recommend or not to open windows based on a weather forecast or ambient air data.

RehiveTech, a member of IQRF Alliance, develops this system for offices where within a single AuroraHub system it is possible not only to measure the air quality but also to solve the security of rooms, attendance, and mandatory staff breaks, e.g. with smart bracelets including the necessary documentation. More at www.aurorahub.io.

More than 90 IoT professionals came to the IQRF Meetup in South Moravian region.

The IQRF Meetup became very popular among the members of the IQRF Alliance during the years. This time the meetup was attended by more than 90 representatives not only from companies that are members of the Alliance but also from companies that for example heard about the IQRF wireless technology for the first time but are interested in it.

The event was held in Hotel Volarik in town Mikulov, South Moravian Region (CZ) and started with two blocks of presentations where the IQRF team introduced new features (Smart Connect, IQRF Network Manager mobile app, IQRF Daemon 2, etc.), devices (GWs, etc.) and also vision where should the IQRF technology be heading. The second block was dedicated for representatives from various companies all over the Europe who had time to introduce their company, what they do, what they can offer to others and what they need from the community.

Based on the experiences from previous years, we know that it is all about networking. The best networking is of course done while eating and drinking something tasty, so the whole group moved to the nearby wine cellar. Attendees enjoyed the wine degustation and started to discuss possible cooperation with companies they didn’t even know a few hours ago.

The IQRF Meetup will start with a Registration from 12:00 in Hotel Volarik, Mikulov, Czech Republic.

After the Registration, there will be two rounds of presentations – representatives will have an opportunity to briefly introduce their company and what they do. IQRF Tech and other IQRF Alliance members will introduce the release of new features, products, and services: Smart Connect, IQRF Gateway Daemon 2, simple and low-cost IQRF gateway, mobile app, IoT platform, connectivity to Big Clown makers kit, and much more.

Thanks to the experience we know that people get to know each other best during networking, so we will take a short walk from Hotel Volarik through the historic center of the town to the wine cellarŠimák. Guests will find there a pleasant sitting with a wine degustation and a good dinner in the form of pork ribs and chicken wings. Furthermore, we will try out the very first IQRF music jam so bring any musical instrument you can play to join the “IQRF band”.

Accommodation:

We recommend Hotel Volarik for the accommodation, where the whole IQRF team will stay as well. The accommodation is registered by the guests themselves. Please book your room at info@hotelvolarik.cz or call +420 777 003 692.